Sunday, November 23, 2008

Take a deep breath, 4 drops of Feel5ive, & turn off the TV

It's slightly difficult to remain upbeat and positive when the television is screaming that bad times are coming and newspapers are reporting financial crisis at every opportunity.

The only way to remain happy and enjoy your life as the current mess is sorted out is to make a conscious effort.

First, realize that the media thrives on bad news and puts the worst possible spin on everything it reports. Just this week I read a long article about the budget cuts in Washington State. It was pure doom and gloom. When I got to the middle of the article I had to go back and read one short paragraph twice, just to make sure I really understood it - because that short paragraph told the truth of the matter.

These aren't spending cuts at all! These are cuts in the budget increases that the governor wanted. The fact was, she'll only get to increase spending about half as much as she'd have liked.

Mark Twain once said "Advertisements contain the only truths to be relied on in a newspaper." I'm not so sure about all those advertisements, but but I do believe the man made a valid point. We must not believe (and worry about) everything we read or hear.

We can either analyze every piece of information to find out if reported bad news is really not bad news at all, or we can choose to go forward with a positive mindset, so positive things can flow into our lives. If we buy into the panic, we're apt to make choices that aren't in our best interests. And if we spend our days worried, we'll certainly not feel happy!

So, turn off the TV and listen to music that makes you smile. Take a deep breath and think of someone you love. And give yourself a dose of Feel5ive whenever you start to feel anxiety.

Something else Mark Twain said:"I am an old man and have known a great many troubles, but most of them never happened."